ON the eve of the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and a year after celebrating the 40th anniversary of the reform and opening-up policy, China has established a new type of relationship with the world through a gradual reform of state institutions, and opening to international trade and foreign investment. Nowadays, China's economic and social development depends on a new international strategy that is more active and global in its scope.

China has been attaching great importance to its relationship with the European continent, which has been evidenced by the first overseas tours made this year by both President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang. During Xi’s state visit to Italy, China and Italy signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to advance the construction of the Belt and Road. Thus, Italy became the first G7 member to join the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Events that hold the center of global attention and set the course of changes taking place on a global scale are few in number, and the international community follows their proceedings and conclusions with full attention. Among them, China’s Two Sessions, the NPC and CPPCC annual sessions have qualified for the status of global attention in true letter and spirit.

With the promotion of innovative trade facilitation measures and professional trade platforms, the bonded area of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ) has attracted foreign investments and large-scale industry clusters since it opened

The 35th annual conference of the InterAction Council opened in Beijing on September 28. Taking questions from the media, Bertie Ahern, former Irish Prime Minister and co-chair of the InterAction Council answered China Today’s question on the upcoming 1st China International Import Expo and its significance to global trade in particular against the backdrop of the rising trade protectionism in the world.